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To call this issue beautiful is a massive understatement. I don't know if there is a better visual story teller working in comics today or ever with the skills J.H. Williams has. This isn't my first rodeo with him having read Promethea, 6 issues of Desolation Jones(Warren Ellis sucks now) and the League of Batmen story and of course his previous work on Batwoman. He really is just that damn good. He has the rare ability to be both dark and vivid on the same page. He needs very little help on the art side of the book and Amy Reeder is a good way to speed him up considering I expect this book to suffer from massive delays.

What Williams does need though is help writing. Didn't Dick know Kane was Batwoman? Did he not keep the files updated? it really took bruce that long to figure it out? The book is very short on story and dialogue and I realize that's not what it's about. It's supposed to be an introduction to the character and that's fine but please progress her a little.

And of course just so twaty mctwat face feels a sense of self there is even mention of her being a buxom lipstick lesbian in the form of her, "Being discharged from the military under don't ask, don't tell." Yup there you go twat face. It really markets it self as a big old bull dyke.

7

doombug wrote:You really are the george carlin of the outhouse. that's fucking hilarious.

doombug wrote:and yeah, Yoni called it.

I feel like a condemned building with a brand new flag pole.- Les Paul

JH Williams takes sole control of Batwoman's adventures, and brings two other people with him. Wait, what?

There's not a lot of story to review here, but I still managed to find a nit to pick at in the form of Batman's narration. I like the idea, and I like the way the character is set up so nicely I just don't like that the narration seems to be trying rather hard to justify a character that doesn't need it. Batman seems very taken with Kate Kane's methods and abilities and considering how much crap he usually gives to people he lets into the Batfamily, the free ride he's given this stranger feels really out of character here. The Batwoman portrayed in this story is a little too perfect for my taste.

The art however is just perfect enough. God damn. I have no idea how anyone can have their art on the same page as JH Williams but Amy Reeder Hadley pulls it off ably. Stunning layouts from two amazing artists give me nothing to complain about in the art apart from there not being enough of it.

Greg Rucka wrote a few solid Batwoman stories before, but the art has always been the real draw with this character and that remains here. I'd love to see the writing kicked up a notch to match, but when you're this good looking I guess you don't need so much more.

guitarsmashley wrote:And of course just so twaty mctwat face feels a sense of self there is even mention of her being a buxom lipstick lesbian in the form of her, "Being discharged from the military under don't ask, don't tell." Yup there you go twat face. It really markets it self as a big old bull dyke.

Yoni, knock it off please. This is entirely unnecessary: you may not like Punchy or his opinions, but this level of personal attack is really not at all called for.

To say that the last major appearance of Batwoman, Elegy, made an impression on people is kind of like saying that Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal are kind of tall. In other words, it would be a serious understatement. So when it was announced that Batwoman would finally be getting her own stand-alone series instead of piggy-backing in Detective Comics, there was much jubilation throughout the land.

Then it was announced that Greg Rucka, the man who wrote the aforementioned story, would not be involved in the writing of the new series and many, including myself, were suddenly left in doubt as to the future of this character that seemingly come from nowhere to be a tour de force in the world of Gotham City.

Then came the announcement that J.H. Williams III, the artist behind Elegy, was announced as the man who would be writing the new series and... well, I can't speak for other Batwoman fans, but for myself, I was left dubious. Yeah, the man is a magician when it comes to artwork, but can he write?

So this brings us to Batwoman #0, an issue clearly designed to bring new readers up to speed on the character (or at least enough to be able to jump in) and also a chance to see just what Williams can do without Rucka's writing. The answer? Somewhat surprising.

The newly returned Bruce Wayne is scoping Kate Kane out to determine if she is, in fact, Batwoman and whether or not she has a place in his new Batman Incorporated scheme. This takes the form of following her and her family using various disguises, as well as watching her do battle with her long-time enemies in the Religion of Crime. In much the same way as was done during the Bruce Wayne: The Road Home series of one-shots, he gives a point-by-point analysis of Kate, her motivations, and her performance. While acknowledging that she is not exactly the same as himself or any of the heroes that he had a direct hand in training, she is nonetheless more than capable of performing her mission.

At this point, the most outstanding element of this issue needs to be addressed: the artwork. Anyone who read Elegy knew that Williams more than had the chops to make this book look pretty, but even knowing what you are in for does not necessitate being unable to appreciate just how great something is. Williams in on his game in both the Batwoman and the Kate Kane scenes, with some help from Amy Reeder and Richard Friend to help bring some distinguishing between the two angles. But again, it's all about Williams and his layouts. The man can do things with a page that very few others can do and certainly not many working today.

Now that the elephant in the room is out of the way, there's the small matter of the story. Now, as I alluded to above, going into this I wasn't entirely convinced that Williams was going to be able to pull this off as a writer. And at the end of the day, I'm still not. While the story was entertaining and his juxtaposition of Bruce's following of her both in her role as Kate Kane and as Batwoman was well-executed, it didn't strike me as really selling anything. And to be blunt: this was a new-reader intro issue. Frankly, it didn't seem like anything in this issue would have been that difficult to mess up. I'm still unsure.

So at the end of the day, this is a gorgeous book. One of the best-looking books I've seen all year. But I'm still not 100% sold on whether or not the man responsible for that art can also carry the writing load, even with the assistance of a co-writer.

To say that the last major appearance of Batwoman, Elegy, made an impression on people is kind of like saying that Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal are kind of tall. In other words, it would be a serious understatement. So when it was announced that Batwoman would finally be getting her own stand-alone series instead of piggy-backing in Detective Comics, there was much jubilation throughout the land.

Then it was announced that Greg Rucka, the man who wrote the aforementioned story, would not be involved in the writing of the new series and many, including myself, were suddenly left in doubt as to the future of this character that seemingly come from nowhere to be a tour de force in the world of Gotham City.

Then came the announcement that J.H. Williams III, the artist behind Elegy, was announced as the man who would be writing the new series and... well, I can't speak for other Batwoman fans, but for myself, I was left dubious. Yeah, the man is a magician when it comes to artwork, but can he write?

So this brings us to Batwoman #0, an issue clearly designed to bring new readers up to speed on the character (or at least enough to be able to jump in) and also a chance to see just what Williams can do without Rucka's writing. The answer? Somewhat surprising.

The newly returned Bruce Wayne is scoping Kate Kane out to determine if she is, in fact, Batwoman and whether or not she has a place in his new Batman Incorporated scheme. This takes the form of following her and her family using various disguises, as well as watching her do battle with her long-time enemies in the Religion of Crime. In much the same way as was done during the Bruce Wayne: The Road Home series of one-shots, he gives a point-by-point analysis of Kate, her motivations, and her performance. While acknowledging that she is not exactly the same as himself or any of the heroes that he had a direct hand in training, she is nonetheless more than capable of performing her mission.

At this point, the most outstanding element of this issue needs to be addressed: the artwork. Anyone who read Elegy knew that Williams more than had the chops to make this book look pretty, but even knowing what you are in for does not necessitate being unable to appreciate just how great something is. Williams in on his game in both the Batwoman and the Kate Kane scenes, with some help from Amy Reeder and Richard Friend to help bring some distinguishing between the two angles. But again, it's all about Williams and his layouts. The man can do things with a page that very few others can do and certainly not many working today.

Now that the elephant in the room is out of the way, there's the small matter of the story. Now, as I alluded to above, going into this I wasn't entirely convinced that Williams was going to be able to pull this off as a writer. And at the end of the day, I'm still not. While the story was entertaining and his juxtaposition of Bruce's following of her both in her role as Kate Kane and as Batwoman was well-executed, it didn't strike me as really selling anything. And to be blunt: this was a new-reader intro issue. Frankly, it didn't seem like anything in this issue would have been that difficult to mess up. I'm still unsure.

So at the end of the day, this is a gorgeous book. One of the best-looking books I've seen all year. But I'm still not 100% sold on whether or not the man responsible for that art can also carry the writing load, even with the assistance of a co-writer.

Art: 9.9 out of 10Story: 6.8 out of 10Overall Score: 8.35 out of 10

Williams writing is definitely the scariest part of this book.

doombug wrote:You really are the george carlin of the outhouse. that's fucking hilarious.

doombug wrote:and yeah, Yoni called it.

I feel like a condemned building with a brand new flag pole.- Les Paul